


To Rescue a Soldier and Slay a Dragon

by Tacuma



Series: 50 First Meetings [19]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Romance, They're actually super heroes in this one, Tiny bit of Angst, modern fairytale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-05
Updated: 2015-12-05
Packaged: 2018-05-05 02:36:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5357792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tacuma/pseuds/Tacuma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a modern fairytale AU. Tony is literally in shining armor and Steve needs rescuing, but is not a damsel in distress.</p>
<p>Tony has to go on a rescue mission to find a genetically engineered super soldier. Clint joins him, much to Tony's dislike, but he actually makes himself useful. When they finally arrive at their destination they find something they didn't expect, but they manage to bring the soldier back to New York.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Rescue a Soldier and Slay a Dragon

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the super lame summary, but I can't say more without spoiling the story.
> 
> Also apologies for any mistakes, this is written during NaNoWriMo and I still don't have anyone to beta for me :( Hope it's still enjoyable!

Tony Stark lived a perfectly happy life in his big tower in New York. He had his own company that was doing great, he was a super hero and saved the world every now and then, and he had great friends, coworkers, and lovers. Life was amazing!

 

His company, Stark Industries, was taking over the world. Whatever kind of machine you needed, you could buy one with the Stark Industries name on it. About 60 per cent of all computer, phones, laptops and tablets that were sold were from Tony’s company. But they also produced laundry machines, hair dryers, microwaves and televisions. There were engineers that dedicated their time to creating hospital equipment and they even had a department for mechanical limbs. Tony’s stuff was sold all over the world and his factories were everywhere, giving people in many different countries jobs with proper payment.

 

His headquarters were in New York though. His big tower was the official headquarter with a penthouse at the top. Of course Tony lived in the penthouse, even though he was no longer the CEO of the company. His best friend Pepper took over. Tony was still the biggest shareholder though, so he still had to go to meetings now and then. But most of his time he could spend in his workshop, creating new products and inventing new things.

 

If he wasn’t saving the world, that was.

 

After a major incident Tony had built himself a metal suit of armor. He had used it to get out of some caves in Afghanistan, where a bunch of terrorists had forced him to make weapons. Safely back in New York, Tony made a new suit, a better suit, one that could fly and named himself Iron Man. He used it to help others, to save people’s lives. He was the very first superhero and people loved him!

 

It also inspired people to help others and more super heroes stood up. It was like a plague, like a (better) version of Kick Ass 2. Every idiot could make himself a spandex suit and walk the streets like they owned it. It wasn’t all bad, of course, and some of those self-proclaimed heroes actually did have talent. They all helped out when there was something small going on, and Tony only stepped into his suit when the world was really in danger. He was glad he didn’t have to deal with petty thieves anymore, but it was a bit annoying when they got in his way while he tried to rescue people.

 

So yeah, Tony’s life was pretty much perfect. He had everything he wanted, he had everything he could ever dream of. Life was more amazing than it had ever been.

 

‘Oi, when were you planning to wake up?’ a voice asked.

 

Tony sat up straight in his bed and looked around. His friends were out of town and no one else had access to his penthouse, let alone his bedroom. Within seconds one of his suits of armor flew into the room and folded itself securely around Tony’s body.

 

‘Come out and fight like a man!’ Tony said, scanning the room, but not finding anyone.

 

A raster in the ceiling was pushed aside and a guy dressed in black and purple dropped from the vents, landing on his feet, a few meters away from Tony. He was wearing sunglasses and carried a bow and arrows on his back. The guy held up his hands, showing that he wasn’t there to fight.

 

‘Who are you, and what are you doing in my bedroom?’ Tony asked.

 

‘You don’t recognize me?’ the guy asked. ‘I’m Clint Barton, also known as Hawkeye, the famous archer, you know. I never miss! You seriously haven’t heard of me? Come on, man, I’m famous!’

 

‘Never heard of you,’ Tony said. It sounded more mechanical in the suit. ‘And that doesn’t answer my question: what are you doing here?’

 

‘Don’t you watch the news?’ Clint asked, crouching down and relaxing, like Tony didn’t have his repulsors aimed at him. ‘The government has decided they had enough of all the super heroes. There are too many, it got out of control. Bullshit, of course, our country has never been safer than it’s now. So, yeah, no more heroics for us, unless we don’t mind getting banished from our own country.’

 

‘That’s great Robin Hood, there were way too many people who thought they were super heroes,’ Tony answered. ‘They were falling over each other to be at the first at the crime. They’re in my way, and now they’re gone. Perfect. So why are you here?’

 

‘You’re officially registered as a body guard,’ Clint said. ‘So you can go outside in your armor without getting arrested and thrown over the border. Everyone wants to be your sidekick.’

 

‘Sidekick?’ Tony asked, lowering his arms. ‘They want to be my sidekick? I’m not Batman, you know. I don’t do sidekicks. I work alone. So get the hell out of my tower, or I’ll throw you off, see how much of a hawk you are.’

 

‘Alright, alright, no need to threaten,’ Clint said, holding his hands up defensively again. ‘I’ll be on my way. What do you want me to tell the others?’

 

‘Others?’ Tony asked.

 

‘Yeah, I told you everyone wanted to be your sidekick, right? There are a few hundred people on the floors below. I thought I’d take a chance and crawl through the vents, but the others are still trying to get the alarm off the elevator. Since they’re not here yet, I think they’re all still downstairs, waiting.’

 

Tony groaned. It was way too early for things like this. He didn’t even had coffee yet! He walked to his coffee machine, yes he had one in his bedroom too, and made himself a very strong cup. He downed it in one go before he walked to the elevator and gestured Clint to get in as well. They got themselves to the ground floor and the doors slowly slid open.

 

Tony’s eyes widened. He didn’t know what he had expected, but this was not it! There were people on every square centimeter of the ground floor. And not just the floor. Some were chilling on the ceiling or stuck to the walls. It was insane how crowded it was. Tony could hardly get out of the elevator. He had to push people aside to make his way through. Luckily he was in his armor, that way he was broader and looked a bit more impressive than he did in his underwear and with his hair pointing in all directions. He walked to the reception desk, climbed on top of it and opened his faceplate.

 

‘LISTEN UP!’ he said, shutting everyone else up. ‘I’m not looking for a sidekick, so get the hell out of here already. I don’t have time for this shit.’

 

‘We’ll get arrested if we go outside!’ shouted a guy in red and blue spandex that was glued to the ceiling. Others agreed with him.

 

‘I really don’t care!’ Tony said. ‘Get out or I’ll call the police and get you all arrested anyway. Or worse, I’ll make you participate in some kind of hunger games and let you all kill each other.’

 

‘It’s not fair!’ a black guy with wings shouted. ‘We’re all doing good, we’re keeping the streets safe, just like you are, but we gotta stop and you can continue.’

 

‘So it would be fair if I keep one of you as my sidekick and throw the others out?’ Tony asked. ‘Just go, take of your fucking spandex, and live a normal life already.’

 

Nobody left. They protested and stayed in their place, not moving an inch. Tony tried a few things, he even fired his repulsors, but nobody seemed to be scared. Tony would have loved to pick them all up one by one and drag them to the police station, but he didn’t have time for that! There was only one solution: he had to talk to Nick Fury.

 

~

 

Tony flew to the Shield headquarters and demanded to see Nick Fury. Shield was an intelligence and security organization and Tony was officially working for them. He didn’t get paid, he was a billionaire, he didn’t need it, but Shield offered him protection when he was doing his duties as Iron Man. They sent field agents to help him out and cleaned up after him. Officially Tony was the bodyguard of Nick Fury, director of Shield, but in real life things worked out a little differently. Being a ‘bodyguard’ had saved him from getting banished though.

 

The receptionist told Tony that mister Fury didn’t have much time, but that he could go up and talk to him if he made it quick. Tony didn’t waste any time and made his way to the director’s office.

 

‘What can I do for you, Stark?’ Fury asked as Iron Man entered his office.

 

Tony took off his helmet and pulled his fingers through his hair. ‘My house is full of losers in spandex, because some idiot decided it’s illegal to be a super hero now! They all want to be my sidekick. I have like two hundred people in my tower and I can’t get rid of them! So you better hire them all and spread them over the world or something, because I’m not having a sidekick and I’m not letting any of them stay in my house any longer.’

 

‘I’m not adopting two hundred stray super heroes,’ Fury said calmly.

 

‘Well fuck you then,’ Tony said angrily. ‘If you’re not going to help me, I quit. I know you’re earning money because of me, so find yourself another hero who can do that. Or let your agents safe the world, see how long it takes before aliens are destroying our cities!’

 

‘Sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear,’ a familiar voice said, and once again Clint dropped from the vents.

 

‘WHAT THE HELL BARTON?!’ shouted Tony. ‘How did you even get here without being arrested?’

 

‘I know my way around the subway tunnels and the drains,’ Clint said, like it was the most normal thing in the world. ‘But I had aliens on my farm once, and I got rid of all of them, with only eleven arrows. So, if you’re getting rid of Stark, I can totally take his place.’

 

‘Stark isn’t going anywhere,’ Fury said, not very surprised about Clint’s entrance.

 

‘The hell I am,’ Tony said. ‘I’m moving back to my home in Malibu. I’ve been your lap dog for too long, I’m out of here. I’ve been helping you out for years and you won’t even help me with this pest problem.’

 

‘Maybe we can make a deal,’ Fury suggested, just before Tony could storm out of the room. ‘I’d love to see you go, but your technology is useful and yes, we’re earning money. I have agents I need to pay.’

 

‘What are you suggesting?’ Tony asked as he sat down in one of the chairs. It creaked under the weight or the armor.

 

‘There is something we’ve been looking for for a long time,’ Fury started. ‘Some agents found it, but they died on the mission and couldn’t report back to us. We don’t know exactly what is there, but we need it. You might be the only one who could get it for us, Stark.’

 

‘Could you be anymore vague?’ Tony asked. ‘What the hell are you looking for and why is it so dangerous?’

 

‘We’re looking for a guy, who is said to be locked up for seventy years,’ Fury explained. ‘In the second world war they experimented on a man. He grew stronger than any man was supposed to be, and saved the world. He is an genetically engineered soldier, locked away for the safety of humanity. Or so the legends say. Nobody knows if he really exists, but some of our agents and scientists found something, about ten years ago. Reading their reports I think they found out where this man is hidden away. But like I said, most of them died during the mission and we don’t know everything. I want you to go and get him, Stark.’

 

‘You want me to go and get you a genetically engineered super soldier in a time when the government is banishing super heroes?’ Tony asked.

 

‘That’s what you focus on?’ Clint asked. ‘What about the part where all of the agents and scientists died when they were looking for him. This guy sounds like a killing machine. Why would Stark be able to get him out of there? Who says it wasn’t the guy himself who killed your agents?’

 

‘It is said that he is guarded by a dragon,’ Fury said with a straight face.

 

Tony started laughing. ‘A dragon? Do you believe in fairytales, Nick? A dragon, really? Wow, this is precious. Your agents were killed by a dragon while they tried to steal a human super weapon. Wow, you should try writing books, this story would sell!’

 

‘I’m serious Stark!’ Fury said, less patient now. ‘We don’t know what form this dragon appears in, but we know that this soldier is well guarded. We need someone who can handle a difficult job and unfortunately you’re the only one we have right now who could be able to do this job.’

 

‘I have a tower full of super heroes, I’m sure there are a few who would love to fight dragons and save your soldier in distress,’ Tony said. ‘I’m not the knight in shining armor type.’

 

‘Looks pretty shiny to me,’ Clint said as he eyed the Iron Man armor.

 

‘Shut up, Barton. Why do you even need this soldier, Fury?’ Tony asked. ‘If you’re going to do more experiments on him, I’m not even going to discuss this any further. If you’re going to lock him up here in your headquarters, the same. Super heroes aren’t allowed anymore. Why do you need him?’

 

‘I want to make him one of my bodyguards,’ Fury stated. ‘We can’t keep the world safe with just a man in a flying suit of armor, we need more. I could train the stray super heroes you have to offer me, but I need a man who will bring in money and this super soldier is that kind of man.’

 

‘What will you do after I get him for you?’

 

‘I will let all those so called heroes in your tower do some tests and take on the ones that are good enough. I’ll spread them over our offices all over the country and let them all guard a city of their own, like you handle New York. The ones that aren’t good enough, they will have to go back to their old life, before spandex happened.’

 

‘So if I get you the engineered guy, you will get rid of all the boys and girls that are hiding in my tower?’ Tony asked, to be sure.

 

‘Yes,’ Fury said. ‘It’s all on record. Do we have a deal?’

 

‘We do,’ Tony said, and he grinned as he shook Nick’s hand. ‘So, give me the coordinates and I’ll fly there. I’ll bring you back your superman.’

 

‘You can’t fly there in your suit, Stark,’ Fury said.

 

‘Alright, I’ll just bring the suitcase then,’ Tony sighed. ‘Do I go by car? Helicopter? Plane?’

 

‘Start with a plane,’ Fury suggested. ‘But since you’re going to the arctic, I’d bring a nice and warm coat if I were you.’

 

‘The arctic?!’ Tony shouted angrily. ‘Are you kidding me?’

 

‘Yes, the arctic, so there was only a small possibility someone would accidently stumble upon this soldier. Pack your bags, we have a plane ready for you. There will be a car waiting for you when you arrive, so you can drive to the last of our stations. There will be food and blankets there for you and a dog sled that will take you to the place where we think this super soldier is hidden.’

 

‘A dog sled?’ Tony groaned. ‘Can this day can get any fucking worse?’ He sighed deeply. ‘Alright. I go to the fucking arctic for you, but I’m using my own plane.’

 

~

 

Tony had made his way back to his tower, using the platform outside of the penthouse to land, because he was not going to face those people on the ground floor again. He grabbed a bag, made a call to prepare his plane and picked two of his Iron Man suits that could handle the cold. He filled the bag with warm clothes and some interesting technical stuff and threw it all on the backseat of his car. His driver was already waiting for him in the passenger seat. Tony always drove his own cars, but he needed someone to drive his baby back when he got on the plane.

 

It was a short drive to the airport. Tony took his bags from the backseat and handed them to one of the stewards. He talked to the pilot for a few moments, about their destination and at what airport they would arrive, before Tony climbed the stairs and sat down in his usual seat. He sat down on a pair of legs.

 

‘What the fuck? Clint?!’ he shouted when he saw the archer sitting in his chair.

 

‘Nice to see you again as well, Stark,’ Clint said with a wide grin. ‘Ready to safe a damsel in distress?’

 

‘Get the hell out of here,’ Tony ordered.

 

‘But I’m gonna help you!’ Clint said. ‘You can’t go on such a dangerous mission on your own. You’ll need your sidekick! Come on, it’s gonna be fun! And I’m great with dogs. I’ll do the dog sled thingie for you.’

 

‘Get off my plane,’ Tony sighed. ‘I can do this on my own, I don’t want you there.’

 

‘That’s not very nice,’ Clint said, a pout on his face, that slowly turned into a grin. ‘But you can’t change it, the doors are closed, we’re on our way! Please sit down and fasten your seatbelts, we’re almost ready for departure!’

 

Tony groaned. ‘Get out of my seat. If you’re coming with me, then not in my seat!’

 

Clint got up and sat down in one of the other chairs and Tony took his usual place. They fastened their seatbelts and soon they were up in the air. Tony didn’t really say much during their trip, while Clint couldn’t stop talking. He kept speculating about the dragon and what the super soldier would look like.

 

‘I bet you the soldier looks scarier than the dragon!’ he laughed. ‘Genetically engineered, he must look like some weird robot or something. Something terminator-like, or maybe he is like a transformer! That would be cool. That dragon is probably a poisonous lizard that you could accidently step on. I could easily kill it with only one arrow.’

 

Tony rubbed his eyes. He really wasn’t ready for this. Slaying a dragon and getting some super scary soldier from the arctic, no problem, but with an idiot like Barton, impossible! He wanted to strangle the man. Nobody would miss him, right? He should just do it already, grab one of his Iron Man gloves and shoot. No, that would blow a hole in his plane and he kind of liked his jet. Luckily the crew brought them food and that shut Clint up for at least fifteen minutes. Tony enjoyed the peace as long as it lasted.

 

‘So, what do you think, is it all going to be easy peasy?’ Clint asked. ‘They gave you jobs like this before, right? You never died, so..’

 

‘Shut up,’ Tony interrupted. ‘I told you I work alone. I work alone because I like to be left alone. So you either shut up, or I’ll ask the pilot to crash this plane into the ocean!’

 

‘That would kill us both!’

 

‘No, you and the crew maybe, but I have a flying suit of armor right here. So shut it!’

 

The rest of the plane trip passed in silence.

 

~

 

They found the car Fury had prepared for them, with a map and directions. Tony climbed behind the wheel and Clint sat down in the passenger seat. Luckily Clint was good with maps and he had a natural sense of direction, so they easily found their way to the Shield base. It was freezing and even with their thick coats they still felt cold. Tony reminded himself of all the stupid super heroes in his house. When he would finish this job he would get his tower back! This was all going to be worth it! It better be worth it!

 

The Shield base was deserted. There was no one there except the dogs. They were fed though and there was fresh food in the kitchen as well, both for the dogs as for Clint an Tony. Clint cooked them a simple meal, while Tony went through all the information he could find about the genetically engineered soldier. There were books, maps, reports and pictures. Tony searched through all of it, but there was no info about the soldier or the dragon. It only described the path they would have to follow and about the outside of the building. Nobody had ever gone any further, no one had lived to tell the tale.

 

Clint wasn’t a bad cook, Tony noted when they were eating the food he prepared. It would come in handy, since they probably had to bring food on their excursion too. Luckily Clint was so much of a dog fan that he was talking to them now, instead of to Tony. This way the genius billionaire could focus on the information again.

 

Tony planned the rest of the trip and tried to find solutions for all kinds of dangers they could meet on their way to this soldier. He also tried to work on a plan to enter the building. On the pictures it looked like a medieval castle. Maybe that is where the dragon idea came from? But Fury had said this guy had been locked up for seventy years, not seven hundred. It didn’t make sense. Tony would have to wait with strategy until they actually got there.

 

After a few hours of sleep Clint prepared the sled, while Tony got them food, water, blankets and weapons. He placed everything they needed on the sled, before he sat down on it himself.

 

‘You have done this before, Legolas?’ he asked Clint.

 

‘Yes,’ the archer said. ‘Just not with this many dogs and not such a big distance. But hey, these dogs are great! They will know what to do. It’s gonna be fun.’

 

Tony wasn’t so sure it was going to be fun, so he held himself tightly when Clint stepped on the back of the sled and made the dogs run. It didn’t all go very smooth in the beginning. The dogs walked in a different pace, so the sled went from left to right, almost making Tony nauseous. After a few minutes Clint figured out how to keep the dogs under control though and things were going a lot better. Tony dared to let go and take a map, to see if they were going in the right direction. There was only snow and ice everywhere, but with a little help from the sun he figured out there were going the right way.

 

It was freezing cold. Tony wrapped a blanket around himself, but he still shivered. This soldier must be frozen, or maybe the dragon kept him warm? But it was obvious that no normal human being could survive for seventy years in a place like this. Tony got more curious by the minute. He had about a hundred theories about this, but they were all so surreal that the real thing would probably be disappointing.

 

After a few hours Tony checked his maps again. ‘We should have been there by now,’ he said to Clint. ‘We were going in the right direction, we had the right coordinates, it should be somewhere around here.’

 

The dogs pulled the sled over a small hill and that’s when they saw it. There was indeed a medieval castle in the middle of the winter landscape. It was made of big, grey stones, which suited the white ground and grey skies. There were a few windows, but they were probably not big enough for Tony to fly through. Other than the windows there was only one way in: a big gate. Which was closed and the bridge was pulled up. Tony could fly over the moat, that wasn’t a problem, but how would they get inside?

 

As they got closer Clint stopped the dogs. He got off the sled and gave the animals a treat for doing such a good job. Tony slowly walked towards the castle. It wasn’t just some vision, it was real. He got closer and closer and then suddenly he noticed something strange. The moat wasn’t filled with water, or ice, since it was so cold, but it was filled with something that looked like lava. The thick, slow moving, orange liquid was bubbling a little. Tony moved even closer, but he couldn’t feel any warmth coming from it.

 

‘What the hell is that?!’ Clint asked as he appeared next to Tony. ‘Is that lava? Is that seriously lava? In the arctic? What the hell!’

 

 Clint wanted to take a closer look, but Tony stopped him. ‘All the people who have been here died, I wouldn’t get too close if I were you. Let’s throw something in to see if it’s really lava.’

 

‘Maybe if you throw something in it will explode and that is how everyone died,’ stated Clint.

 

‘I’ll put on the suit and I’ll do it, you make sure you stay far away with your doggies and be safe,’ Tony sighed.

 

‘Awww, so you do care?’ Clint laughed.

 

‘I don’t want to bother with burying your body, thank you very much!’ Tony groaned as he started to undress. He was wearing his under suit for the armor underneath his clothes, so thankfully he didn’t have to stand in his underwear in the freezing cold. The moment all his clothes were off he called the armor and within seconds it was wrapped around him, clicking all the pieces safely together.

 

‘That was kind of impressive,’ Clint admitted.

 

‘I know,’ Tony grinned before he shut his faceplate. He picked up some snow, made a perfect snow ball out of it and threw it towards the lava. It never reached the lava, because it splashed against an invisible wall, not too far from the moat.

 

‘What the hell was that?’ Clint asked.

 

‘I don’t know,’ Tony admitted. ‘Some kind of force field. I’ve never seen anything like it before. It keeps the cold outside and the warmth in there. Maybe it’s some sort of magnetism, let me try.’

 

Tony activated a small magnetic field with his suit, something to nullify the force field around the lava, but nothing happened. It wasn’t an magnetic field. Tony stood closely to the wall and looked if he could see anything. Anything that could give him a hint on how to get inside.

 

Suddenly something hit the force field, not too far from his head. Tony jumped back and fell on the ground. He saw an arrow being stuck in the force field. Immediately Tony jumped up and walked to Clint.

 

‘ARE YOU STUPID?!’ he shouted. ‘I stood right next to that! You could have fucking killed me! You’re the most useless sidekick ever!’

 

‘We found out something, right?’ Clint said. ‘The arrow is stuck in there, so maybe it’s just an invisible wall or something. Can arrows get stuck in force fields?’

 

‘Still, warn a man next time, Merida,’ Tony hissed. He turned on his heels and walked back to the force field. He reached out and touched it with his hand. Nothing much happened. Yes, there was resistance, but it didn’t burn him, nothing melted, there was no fire, nothing. Tony took a few steps back. If this was just a wall, he could blow a hole in it.

 

Tony aimed the repulsors in his gloves at one spot and shot. White light came out of his hands and it hit the invisible wall hard. For a few seconds it looked like the wall lit up green, but it was immediately gone again. Tony shot again. The green showed again, except for the spot where Tony had hit it.

 

‘I made a hole it in, I think,’ Tony said as he walked closer again. He put his hand on the place that he hit, but there was no more resistance. He could move his arm through the hole. He felt around, to find out how big it was. He made himself as small as possible and he slowly crawled through. When he was on the other side he lifted his faceplate and grinned at Clint.

 

‘I’m in!’ he said. ‘Oh bloody hell, it’s fucking hot in here!’ He quickly shut the faceplate again.

 

‘What do we do now?’ Clint asked as he approached. He felt the hole with his bare hands, but nothing happened. ‘I can get through as well, but we’re still facing a moat of lava. How do we get on the other side?’

 

‘I can fly,’ said Tony, rolling his eyes, but Clint couldn’t see that. ‘I’ll fly to the bridge and let it down for you. We’ll make another hole in the wall there, so when we get back, we still know where to get through. Stay here, I’ll be done in a moment.’

 

Tony flew to the bridge. He shot a few things and then the bridge came falling down and landed with a loud bang. Tony landed on it and tried it if was secure.

 

‘Great job, now whatever dragon is in there, you woke it up!’ Clint shouted through the hole.

 

‘Whatever, it was going to notice us anyway. I’m going to make another hole in the wall, so step back.’

 

Tony used his repulsors again, the green showed, Tony shot again, and the green showed again. But the green was everywhere. There was no hole. Tony tried again. He felt, but he could still feel the wall. Again and again, but nothing changed.

 

‘Not really working, heh?’ Clint shouted. ‘Maybe it can only be done from the outside? You better save your power, I’ll give it a try.’

 

‘Yeah, because you’re going to blow a big hole in a wall with arrows!’ Tony said sarcastically.

 

‘Just wait and see!’ Clint grinned. He walked to the bridge, grabbed one of his arrows and shot it. It ended up stuck in the wall, just like the first one. For a few seconds nothing happened, but then it exploded. Clint ran to the bridge and felt the wall. There was another hole. He easily climbed through and stepped on the bridge. He stuck an arrow on both sides next to it.

 

‘So we know where we can get out again,’ he explained as he stripped off most of his clothes. It was incredibly warm with all the lava. ‘Not bad for a sidekick, right?’

 

‘It wouldn’t have been necessary if I had been on my own,’ Tony said. ‘Let’s move on. The quicker we finish this, the quicker we can go back again.’

 

‘Yes! Next obstacle, a huge ass door!’ Clint announced.

 

Tony walked towards the door and tried the doorknob. It opened without any problems. It took some effort to push it open, since it was heavy, but in the suit it was no problem for Tony.

 

‘This is too easy. It must be a trap,’ Tony muttered. He had seen enough Indiana Jones movies to know that something was about to happen.

 

‘Okay, what’s our plan?’ Clint asked, stepping through the door. When nothing happened Tony followed him. ‘This place is huge, that dragon could be anywhere. And how are we going to find our soldier boy?’

 

‘Maybe we should split up,’ Tony said, looking around in the huge hall. The insides of the castle didn’t look medieval at all. Retro, yes but not medieval, there was electricity. All a bit old fashioned, but maybe seventy years ago was the last time they redecorated.

 

‘What do we do when we find something?’ Clint asked. ‘Shouldn’t we search for the dragon together? I’m pretty sure we should fight it together. Or you on your own. You have an armor, you can’t get burned. Maybe you should just find the dragon and I’ll find the soldier.’

 

‘Are you scared?’ Tony laughed, as he started walking, looking around a bit more. ‘You were the one who thought the soldier might be a transformer or something. That isn’t scary?’

 

‘No comment,’ Clint said as he followed a few steps behind. They walked into one of the halls and opened every door on their way. All rooms were decorated, but it looked like nobody had been in there for years. They were dusty and the style was way out of time. This wasn’t vintage anymore, this was just old crap.

 

Tony closed the doors behind them, while Clint already moved on. They were approaching another big hall. The doors were wide open and there was more light behind them. Tony stayed behind a little, trying to figure out how the electricity was working here, so far from the rest of the world. When he heard something he stood still.

 

Clint was practically deaf though, so he kept walking. He walked through the doors, into the hall, and was kicked off his feet, landing on the floor with a loud thud. Tony immediately flew towards him, helping him back up. They looked around to see what it had been that tackled Clint, and then they saw her: a fierce looking woman with flaming red hair. She was completely dressed in black and her expression screamed murder.

 

Without a word she attacked them again, making Clint end up on his back on the floor again, while Tony flew up, out of her reach. He tried to shoot her with the repulsors, but she was too fast. She moved like she was it was a game of parkour. She used the walls and furniture to jump and turn, only to get Clint back on the ground again the moment he got up.

 

‘You know what,’ Clint said as he grabbed his bow from his back. ‘If this is the dragon, I’ll deal with her. You go find that soldier.’

 

He shot of a few arrows in the direction of the woman, but she jumped out of the way before they could hit her. Now that Clint knew what he was dealing with, he started moving as well. He used the furniture as a shield to shoot more arrows her way.

 

Tony used the opportunity to fly out of the room. He made quick work of the rest of the main floor, flying was way faster than walking, especially in heavy armor. He moved to the next floor, but no sign of humans, or dragons, at all. It was the same on the second floor, although it looked like someone had been using some of those rooms and there was actually food in the kitchen. Tony told himself that that meant that this soldier was not a robot. He needed food. Or maybe it was for the woman who was fighting Clint, but he wanted to believe it was for the soldier too.

 

There was only one place left where Tony hadn’t searched: the tower. Hopefully the genetically engineered man was there. If he was really as good as Fury suggested, he might have been hiding from Tony. Even with the suit he couldn’t scan an entire floor, so there were always places left to hide. He would have to do another round on the floors, but first the tower.

 

Tony flew up the stairs. At the top he stepped into a big, white room, with a lot of light. It was so bright that Tony had to let his eyes adjust for a moment. The entire castle was dark, but the ceiling of the tower was almost completely made of glass. Now that he could see again, Tony looked around. There was a desk with a chair, a bookshelf, a couch with big pillows, a coffee table, and a very big bed with curtains.

 

Through the white curtains Tony could see a body. He slowly approached the bed, with as little sounds as possible. It was practically impossible in the armor. But the body didn’t move, so Tony thought he was doing fine. He got closer and closer until he could pull the curtains aside. He was about to take a look at, when the person jumped up, turned Tony around and pulled Tony’s arms on his back, holding him tightly.

 

‘Who are you and what are you doing here?’ the man asked. His voice was deep, it made Tony shiver.

 

‘My name is Tony Stark, I was send to look for an genetically engineered super soldier,’ Tony said as he opened his faceplate. ‘And seeing how I can’t really move, even though I’m wearing a metal armor, I assume it’s you.’

 

‘Why do you need me?’ the man asked, still not letting go. Tony stopped struggling.

 

‘I’m here because my boss wants you as his bodyguard,’ he explained. ‘He is a very important person and a lot of people would like to see him dead. He wants the best and only the best, so he wanted me to go and get you.’

 

Flattery would get you anywhere, right?

 

‘So you’re not my true love?’

 

‘What the hell?’ Tony asked. ‘No, I’m not your true love. There is no such thing as true love. Can you let go of me already?’

 

The man let go. Tony pulled his arms back. He wish he could rub his shoulders, but he wasn’t going to take his suit off in front of this lunatic.

 

‘I’m Steve Rogers,’ the soldier said. ‘How did you get past Natasha?’

 

Tony could finally take a good look at the man, and he took his helmet off for that. Steve was tall, with nice blond hair, and blue eyes. He was almost twice as broad as Tony, without the suit, and his arms were about as thick as Tony’s legs. This man looked like one of those Greek statues. Nothing terminator, nothing transformer, this man was hot!

 

‘Nice to meet you, Steve. I think my friend is still fighting her. If Natasha is the fierce redhead we met on our way.’

 

Steve nodded as he sat down on the bed. ‘Yeah, that’s Natasha. She is here to protect me. Or to keep me company, I guess, I can handle myself pretty well. It’s been ages since I’ve seen someone else. How long has it been since the second world war?’

 

‘About seventy years,’ Tony said.

 

Steve’s eyes widened. ‘Seventy years?’ he asked, before sighing deeply. ‘Great, seventy years and now they want me to be someone’s bodyguard. But I’d like to see some of the world again. I’m going with you.’

 

‘Just like that you’re coming with me?’ Tony asked. ‘You don’t even know me, or my boss. Why won’t you just leave and do whatever you want?’

 

‘I want to put my strength to good use,’ Steve shrugged. ‘And if I have to do it as a bodyguard, then so be it. I can’t stay here, you broke the barrier. It was there to keep us from aging. Now that it’s broken, I’d rather go and see something of the world instead of waiting here and grow old without ever meeting my one true love.’

 

‘That wall…that wall was like the fountain of youth?’ Tony asked.

 

‘Yes, and you destroyed it,’ Steve chuckled. ‘I’m afraid the technology died with the person who actually made it, so you’re going to get old, mister Stark. I’m sorry.’

 

‘Please, call me Tony, if you call me mister Stark I already start to feel old,’ Tony groaned. ‘So what is this true love thing? I get that you’re desperate after being locked up for seventy years, but the way you say it I feel like it’s not just sex you’re looking for.’

 

‘It’s silly,’ Steve said, rubbing the back of his head and looking at his shoes. ‘It’s some kind of weird prophecy someone gave me before I went in here. A guy said I would find true love once I would get out again, but maybe he just tried to comfort me, because I had to leave the girl I liked behind.’

 

‘I’m sorry,’ Tony said. ‘That’s harsh. Couldn’t they let her in here as well?’

 

‘Long story,’ Steve said. ‘And it’s been seventy years. We weren’t even dating seriously yet, so I’m over it by now.’ Steve looked up at Tony, who was still standing. ‘Can I ask you a, well, more personal question?’

 

‘You can ask, see if I’ll answer,’ Tony replied.

 

‘Are you… half robot?’

 

Tony laughed. ‘That’s a good question. You guys don’t know what the world looks like, right? You haven’t been out for seventy years. No, I’m not half robot. This is my armor, I’m some sort of super hero, I guess, trying to help people.’ He clicked a few buttons and the suit folded itself neatly back into a suitcase, leaving Tony in his under suit.

 

‘Wow, that is amazing,’ Steve said as he looked at the tiny suitcase. ‘You’re the only one who has this?’

 

‘Yes, I’m the only one, made it myself, actually,’ Tony said proudly. He loved talking about his Iron Man suit. ‘The technology is pretty new, but the guys you’re going to work for will help you to catch up with time. They’re good, but if they’re not, demand that I will help you, okay? I can tell you all about this new world!’

 

‘Does your friend have a suit like that or isn’t he a super hero?’ Steve asked.

 

‘Fuck, Clint!’ Tony hissed, he had forgotten about Clint. 'He's still fighting the dragon. Ugh, I really shouldn't have a fucking sidekick.'

 

'Dragon?' Steve asked. 'You're calling Natasha a dragon? Don't say that to her face, she'll skin you alive. With good reason.'

 

'That's what my boss told me,' Tony said as he put on his suit again. 'The castle doesn't really help, you know, it looks like something from a fairytale. Natasha is the dragon and you're the upgraded damsel in distress. Now help me get Clint out of her claws.'

 

Tony flew down the stairs, followed by Steve, who had to run, but easily managed to keep up. He wasn't just strong, he was fast as well. They went back to the main floor and found Natasha and Clint in the same room Tony had left them. They were still fighting. All of Clint's arrows were stuck in the wall and the ceiling. There were several throwing stars and other blades stuck as well. Tony figured they were Natasha's. Since they both ran out of ammo, their fight had become more physical. They were all over each other. Natasha bit in Clint's arm, while Clint was pulling her hair. It was like watching two kids fight.

 

'Nat, it's okay, they have a job for me, but they didn't know how the wall worked,' Steve said. 'Apparently it's been seventy years and the outside world doesn't know about the anti-aging technology anymore.'

 

Natasha got up and brushed some imaginary dust from herself. She eyed Tony wearily, but trusted Steve's judgment.

 

'Nat, this is Tony Stark, Tony, Natasha Romanoff. And you must be Clint,' Steve introduced everyone. He shook Clint's hand. 'I'm Steve Rogers, nice to meet you. Sorry we attacked you, but when people break in, we have to stop them.'

 

'Yeah, sorry about that,' Tony said. 'I think people forgot about you, because the guy who sent us has the biggest intelligence organization in the world, but he wasn't even sure if you were real. He could only tell people had died trying to get in here. Whoever was in charge of you and this place did do a very good job.'

 

'All information about me was destroyed after the war,' Steve said. 'They didn't want people to use me as some kind of weapon unless there was a real big threat. I guess they didn't need me, now that they have new heroes, like you two. I'd still like to go back outside though.'

 

'Nah, most of the new super heroes are losers,' Clint said. 'And all of them, except us, are illegal now. The heroes ended up making more trouble than the evil masterminds.'

 

'Including you,' Tony said. 'But enough chatter, let's go, I want to go home and kick two hundred illegal super heroes out of my house.'

 

'Right now?' Steve asked, peeking outside through the only window in the room. 'But it's getting dark outside. Should we really wander around on the snowy fields in the dark? We might get lost.'

 

'I didn't really pack a toothbrush,' Tony said. He really wanted to go home, but it was true that travelling in the dark wasn't the smartest move.

 

'We have everything you need here,' Steve argued. 'I have to pack my things. By the time that's done it will be completely dark.'

 

'We'll navigate with the stars,' Tony said.

 

'It's clouded! We can't even see the stars!' Steve sighed. 'I didn't wait seventy years to freeze to death. They can wait a day longer. You said they needed me as a bodyguard, so there's no emergency. We're staying here for the night.'

 

'Why should you decide that on your own?' Tony asked angrily.

 

'You came here because of me, you can't leave without me, and you can't force me,' Steve stated. 'Tomorrow I'll come with you without complaining, but tonight I stay here.'

 

'We have rooms,' Natasha said quickly, before they could start a fight. 'We'll make some food for tonight and get some sleep.'

 

'What about the doggies?' Clint asked with a pout. 'We can't leave them outside in the cold!'

 

'You're here with a dog sled?' Steve asked. His mood suddenly a lot lighter. 'We'll get them inside as well, the sled too. We just lift up the wall for a few minutes. I'll help you, Clint, I love dogs!'

 

The two blonds left, talking excitedly about their love for dogs and how these dogs were super cute and well behaved. Tony sighed. He dropped the armor and followed Natasha as she gave him a room.

 

'Be nice to him,' Natasha warned. Tony frowned. 'He hasn't been outside for seventy years. I have always gotten us all the things we needed, he doesn't know how much has changed. He can work with computers a little, but that's it. I don't know what kind of job you have planned for him, but he is not becoming some kind of exhibition for people to stare at. I know who you are, Stark, I'm not letting you get your hands on him.'

 

Tony grinned. 'Wow, my reputation is even known on the arctic! But no worries, my boss is the one who's interested in him. I only care about the reward I get when I deliver him safely.'

 

'I'm watching you, Stark,' Natasha said. 'I'll see you in the kitchen.'

 

Meanwhile Steve and Clint had gotten the dogs inside. The wall mechanism didn't work anymore. Steve had made the hole bigger, so he could carry the sled through as well. They brought everything inside and closed the door firmly behind them. Since the wall was gone they locked the place up. Steve sat down on his knees and hugged the dog closest to him. He buried his nose in the warm fur and laughed as the dog started licking him. Soon the dogs were all over him and Clint, happy with the attention they got.

 

Tony watched them for a few moments. He came to pick up his bag when he walked in on this scene. Steve looked really young, now that he was giggling on the floor. He probably wasn't even in his thirties when they locked him up here. Tony suddenly felt sorry for him. It can't have been an easy life, being changed into some super soldier to fight, only to get locked away the moment you won their war.

 

Suddenly one of the dogs noticed Tony and pounced him. Tony almost fell backwards. Clint laughed at him, but Steve got up and pulled the dog away.

 

'Are two playmates not enough for you?' Steve scolded the dog. The animal immediately started licking his face.

 

'Eh, thanks,' Tony said. 'I came to get my bag.'

 

Clint picked up a bag from under the pile of dogs. Tony grabbed it. Then he noticed the sled. Steve must have carried it inside. The man really had ridiculous strength. Shaking his head Tony walked back to his room.

 

~

 

The next morning Tony sat half asleep at the kitchen table. He had his fifth cup of coffee, but it wasn't really strong enough to wake him up. Next to him Clint was chewing on a pancake. Natasha was just staring at her glass of juice. It wasn’t that early in the morning, but they just weren't very awake yet.

 

'Good morning!' Steve said in a cheerful tone as he entered the kitchen. He dropped the things he was carrying on an empty chair and helped himself to breakfast, which he made himself about an hour ago.

 

'You sound happy,' Tony said, his face was resting on the table, but Steve could hear the muffled words.

 

'I guess I am!' Steve said. 'I've been training this morning, I fed the dogs, made breakfast, and packed my bag. I'm ready to go!'

 

'I want some of what they...' Tony said, looking up, stopping mid-sentence when he saw Steve. 'What the hell are you wearing?'

 

Clint looked up now as well, pushing his sunglasses down to get a better look. 'Is that a Captain America costume?'

 

Steve frowned as he looked at his clothes. He didn't see anything wrong with it. 'It's my uniform. I thought, since you guys are wearing yours I should wear mine. Is it not good?'

 

'You're Captain America?' Tony asked. Now that he was looking up, he also noticed the shield that stood next to Steve's bag on the chair.

 

'Eh, yes,' Steve answered, insecurity visible on his face. 'You didn't know?'

 

Tony and Clint were immediately awake.

 

'He's real! He's fucking real!' Tony said. He got up from his chair and got his hands all over the shield. It was an amazing thing and nothing alike was ever made after this.

 

Clint was searching through his bag and fished a comic out. 'Will you sign it for me?' he asked as he handed it to Steve.

 

Steve looked at the comic and his eyes widened at the title: Captain America. He looked through the pages and saw how a blond man in a uniform that looked a lot like his was saving people’s lives.

 

'They made a comic about me?'

 

'Comics, cartoons, movies, porn,' Tony rambled. 'I'm sorry to tell you this, but the world thinks you're a fictional character. No one knows you actually existed. Or exist. You're the world's first super hero, people see you as a hero. Just not a real one. You've been an inspiration for a lot of people to do good.'

 

'So if I go out like this, people will think I'm an idiot that dresses up like some fictional character? I guess I should change then.' He dropped the comic on the table and walked out of the room. His happy mood was completely gone, his breakfast was left untouched on the table.

 

'Great job,' Natasha said.

 

'Sorry,' said Clint. 'He is my hero, I got caught up. I got hundreds of his comics and I watched the cartoons when I was a kid.'

 

'Me too, I got all the comics,' Tony confessed. 'I masturbated over his posters and watched all the porn about him.'

 

'That's disturbing,' Natasha stated.

 

'I thought you knew me,' Tony said with a grin.

 

'It's disturbing, even for you.'

 

'In my defense, I was an in the closet gay teenager with no friends. Captain America was wearing booty shorts as he punched Hitler in the face, it was a turn on,' Tony defended himself. 'But I’ll be a good boy and cheer the real one up. Or at least make him stop pouting and come with us.'

 

Tony walked upstairs and immediately regretted it. It were a lot of stairs to get to the top of the tower. Flying had been so much easier. He was panting by the time he stepped into Steve's room.

 

'Are you dressed?' Tony asked.

 

'Yes,' came the short reply.

 

Tony walked in and saw Steve had changed into casual clothes. His uniform was neatly folded on the bed.

 

'I'm sorry you had to find out like this,' Tony said as he walked further into the room. 'You saved the world, but nobody knows about it. You risked your life, but didn't get any credit. You should have been an icon, something that would bring people hope. They should have been told that you would come back if you were needed. They should have brought you back, you have been needed. But if you are as cool as you're portrayed in the comics, people will love you. Did you really punch Hitler in the face?'

 

'I did,' confessed Steve with a grin.

 

'You did it in the comics too. Maybe the writer is someone from your past and we do know all the stories about you, we just don't know that they're real. Yet. Because the guy you'll be working for will want you back in the field. I'm sure he'll find a way to make you Captain America again. So bring your uniform.'

 

Steve smiled at Tony. 'Thank you. I think we should go. I want to see the world.'

 

'Good, because we need you to get the sled outside again and even with the three of us we couldn’t get it through the door,' Tony joked.

 

'I bet you could do that too if you wore your armor,' Steve said, but there was an amused smile on his face.

 

They went back downstairs and gathered their things. Steve put his uniform in his bag and grabbed his shield. Clint had prepared the dogs and was waiting for them at the door. The four of them pulled on some warm winter coats, gloves and hats before they went outside. Steve was the last one to step out. A few seconds he looked longingly into the hall, before he turned off the lights and closed the door. He carried the sled through the hole in the wall. Clint tied the dogs to the sled, while Tony tied up the bags, so they couldn't fall off.

 

'How are we going to do this?' Tony asked. The sled was barely big enough for all of them, and he wasn't sure the dogs could pull them all.

 

'I could run, if necessary,' Steve offered. 'How far is it?'

 

'It took us hours to get here by sled,' Clint said. 'The snow goes on for miles, you can't run that!'

 

'It's about twenty-seven miles,' Tony said as he looked at the map.

 

'I don't know what they told in the comics, but I can run twenty-seven miles,' Steve said with a smirk. 'If you show me the map I'll find my way.'

 

Tony showed the map. Steve studied it for a minute, before he nodded. He stretched his legs a little, while the others settled on the sled.

 

'Take this,' Tony said as he handed Steve a phone. 'Just in case. If you get lost we can contact you and it has a tracker, so we can find you.'

 

Steve put the phone in his pocket. 'Thank you. See you there!''

 

When Steve started running, the dogs started running as well. Clint had a hard time getting them under control and Tony was almost thrown off the sled. They held on tightly and followed the super soldier. Steve was fast. Even on the slippery ground he easily found his way. There were ten dogs and they were strong, but they couldn't keep up. Not with three people and a lot of luggage on the sled.

 

Clint made it a challenge to win from Steve, but soon they lost sight of him. With more people and more luggage it took them longer than they had planned to get back to base. Tony wanted to complain, he was so cold it felt like his toes were about to fall off, but just one look from Natasha made him shut up. They were really happy when they finally arrived at the shield base. Tony opened the door and found Steve waiting inside with steaming hot coffee. Natasha and Tony dropped their bags and joined Steve inside for coffee, while Clint let the dogs in.

 

‘You don’t even look tired!’ Tony said as he took a good look at Steve.

 

‘I’ve been waiting for half an hour,’ Steve said. ‘I was a little tired when I actually arrived, but I’m all better now. Made some food too, if you guys feel like eating. There wasn’t much, so it’s nothing special, but it was a long trip.’

 

‘You sprinted twenty-seven miles and when you arrived you cooked us dinner?’ Clint asked. ‘After twenty-seven steps I can’t even cook anymore.’

 

‘I was kinda hungry myself,’ Steve admitted. ‘Takes a lot of energy, so I already had some, but there is more.’

 

Tony shook his head in disbelief, but he took the food anyway. Clint and Natasha got a plate as well. They had a nice dinner. Steve seemed to be as happy as he had been this morning. The run had done him well. When he was done eating he went to feed the dogs, like he still had a lot of energy left and didn’t know what to do with it. Until he came back.

 

‘The sun is already setting,’ he said. He looked a little shocked, his eyes had widened and he couldn’t sit still anymore. The others noticed, but didn’t say anything. They simply finished their food and rested a little.

 

‘I’m really tired, guys,’ Steve said. ‘They have bedrooms here, right? I think I’m going to take a shower and sleep a little. Guess running took more energy than I thought. I’m really sorry about this.’

 

‘We’re not staying,’ said Tony.

 

‘No, we’re not going to do this again, are we?’ Clint groaned. ‘You know, Tony, I’m pretty tired as well. I’ve been driving that sled for hours, I’d like to sleep a little as well.’

 

‘Are you fucking kidding me, Robin Hood?’ Tony sighed. ‘You can sleep in the plane. We’re leaving in an hour.’

 

‘Have you even called your crew to ready your plane?’ Clint asked. ‘Because if you didn’t, we’re not flying anytime soon. I’m not going to wait hours to wait for permission to depart and sleep in an uncomfortable chair when I can sleep in a bed.’

 

‘I could use some sleep as well,’ Natasha said. ‘So you better make sure that plane is ready tomorrow morning, Stark, because we’re staying here for the night.’

 

‘Alright,’ Tony groaned. ‘You guys aren’t used to anything. I stay awake for forty-eight hours all the time. But whatever, we’ll sleep.’

 

‘Thank you,’ Steve said, sounding very relieved. He stood up from the table and went to one of the rooms. He locked himself in there and didn’t come out again.

 

‘It’s almost like he is scared of the dark,’ Tony chuckled. ‘Imagine, Captain America being scared of the dark.’

 

‘He just really values his sleep,’ Natasha said. ‘Can’t keep a body like that without enough sleep. Or one like mine. I’m going to bed as well. Goodnight.’

 

~

 

Steve was just as cheerful as the morning before and the others were just as grumpy. Steve made them breakfast and a shit load of coffee to get them all awake. Tony drank like half of it, giving the excuse that he was driving. Clint offered to drive, but Tony absolutely refused to be driven around by anyone. He would drive. The others agreed to it, he seemed awake enough.

 

They all got in the car and Tony started it. The motor made a few weird sounds, simmered a little and then died. Tony tried again, but nothing happened. Again and again, but the motor wouldn’t start.

 

‘Fucking hell,’ Tony cursed. ‘Was there another car?’

 

‘Nope,’ Clint said from the backseat. ‘We got tools and some spare parts though. Or I think we have, I don’t know a damn thing about cars.’

 

‘Me neither,’ said Natasha. ‘We could call someone, but it will take a while before they get here.’

 

‘I’ll take a look,’ Tony sighed. ‘You guys get back inside.’

 

‘I could help,’ Steve offered. ‘I worked with cars before, I know the basics. Cars haven’t changed that much inside, have they?’

 

‘They stuffed a lot more in there than they did seventy years ago, but the basics are still the same,’ Tony agreed as he opened the hood. Steve peeked over his shoulder.

 

‘Looks like the distributor has some problems,’ he said.

 

‘Yeah, might affected the spark plugs too,’ Tony sighed. ‘If they broke, we gotta replace them and I don’t know if they have stuff like that lying around here.’

 

‘I’ll take a look at what they got, you check if the spark plugs are affected,’ Steve said. He walked into the house and searched through the room where they kept all kind of equipment. Eventually he found some boxes with car parts on top of a shelf. Everything that looked useful he brought back to Tony.

 

‘Three of them are broken,’ Tony said when Steve was back. ‘Did they have any spare ones?’

 

‘Yes, I found some, but I’m not sure if they’re the same type,’ Steve said unsure. ‘I got a few other things as well, just in case, and some tools, so we can actually replace them. Here you go.’

 

Steve placed the box on the ground between them and together they went to work. They had to change a few small things to actually make the spark plugs fit in there, but Tony knew enough about cars to make it work. It wasn’t easy though and it took quiet a long time. They were having fun though, they laughed about the differences between this age and the one where Steve was born. They told stories about cars they had driven and stupid things they had seen on their trips. Tony told about the many cars he owned and Steve was really curious to see them, or maybe even drive them. Tony promised to invite him over some day.

 

It was freezing outside, and after working for about an hour, Tony was shivering. He tried to hide it, but Steve noticed it anyway.

 

‘Are you alright?’ Steve asked. ‘Should we take a break? Drink a cup of coffee or something?’

 

‘No, we should finish it,’ Tony said. ‘We’re almost done, and I want to get to the plane.’

 

‘I could warm you up,’ Steve offered.

 

Tony’s eyes widened. ‘Excuse me? I’d rather take you on a date first, old man.’

 

Steve laughed. There was a slight blush on his face, or maybe that was the cold, Tony wasn’t sure. Steve stepped behind Tony and continued working like that, peeking over Tony’s shoulders, one arm on each side of the shorter man.

 

‘You’re warm!’ Tony said, more surprised about the heat than about the weird position.

 

‘Yes, my body adjusts to the temperature of my surroundings,’ Steve explained as he continued working, like this was the most normal thing in the world. ‘If I’d started walking around in my underwear right now, my body would turn even warmer. In a dessert I stay nice and cool.’

 

‘Would be nice to have someone like you next to you in bed to press your cold feet against,’ Tony joked. ‘I don’t like to get cold in bed.’

 

Steve chuckled. ‘I thought you wanted to go on a date first?’

 

Tony laughed. ‘You have humor, and that for an old man. Just keep working, so we can get into the plane and warm up. Maybe I should fly us to my house in Malibu. It’s nice and warm there.’

 

Meanwhile inside Natasha was watching the two men through the window. ‘Seems like Stark is reliving his teenage years,’ she commented.

 

Clint sat up and pushed the dogs away for a moment. ‘What the hell are they doing? No, I don’t think I want to know.’

 

‘Steve is like a human furnace, Stark was cold.’

 

Clint rolled his eyes. ‘Yeah, sure, that’s just a lame excuse to get their hands all over each other.’

 

‘They’re actually working,’ Natasha noted.

 

And they really did work, because a few minutes later the motor started again. Steve beckoned the others to come outside again, while Tony took his place behind the wheel. Clint had a hard time saying goodbye again to the doggies, but Natasha dragged him outside. They all got in the car and Tony drove them to the airport.

 

The plane was already waiting for them. The pilots were a little grouchy, because they had waited for such a long time, but the stewards were nothing but smiles and friendliness. Steve lingered a little, looking at the jet. He was looking at the motors when Tony grabbed his arm and dragged him inside.

 

'You can ogle my plane later,' Tony laughed. 'You like all kinds of transportation? Do you also look at trains like you want to take them apart?'

 

Steve laughed as well. 'No, but planes back then looked so different. It's beautiful. Last time I was on a plane I had to crash it in the ocean. Almost got myself killed.'

 

'You can pilot a plane?' Tony asked surprised.

 

'I don't know, crashing it wasn't that hard,' Steve answered as he sat down in one of the chairs.

 

'You crashed a plane?' Clint asked. 'Did it have bombs in it with names of different cities that Hydra was going to attack?'

 

'Yes,' Steve said. 'How do you know that? How do you know about Hydra?'

 

'Comic books!' Tony grinned. 'And my father used to tell me reading comics was a waste of time.They were history lessons. But I'm afraid the world isn't completely Hydra-free yet, so I see a job for you, Cap.'

 

Steve looked surprised from one to the other and smiled. 'I guess it's good that I'm not completely forgotten. But I'm not very good with planes. I prefer cars or motor bikes.'

 

'You really used to drive a bike?' Tony asked. 'I thought the writers just wanted to make you look cool!'

 

Steve laughed at the stories Clint and Tony told him. They knew a lot about the comics and gladly told Steve a few of the things that happened in them. In return Steve told them what really happened. Sometimes the comics were over the top and sometimes the real stories were much more dangerous and scary than the comic version.

 

'It's hard to believe all those things really happened,' Clint said. 'Were you there as well, Nat?'

 

'No, I've only been guarding Steve for about three decades,' she said. 'Before me there were others, but they couldn't handle the solitude.'

 

'But you did know he was captain America?' Clint asked.

 

'Of course.'

 

They talked about what life was like in the twenty-first century and they showed Steve what phones looked like now and how they worked. Clint failed utterly as he tried to explain the internet, so Tony took over. They showed Steve a tablet an let him scroll through Tony's vacation pictures. It were pictures from all over the world, mostly showing impressive tech. Steve recognized some of the places, but most of the world had changed so much. He stopped at a picture with high buildings and a lot of lights. There were some yelled cabs, so Steve could guess where it was.

 

'Is this New York?'

 

'Yes, it's Manhattan. That building here, that's mine. I live there,' Tony pointed out.

 

'Me too! Clint grinned.

 

'No you don't,' Tony said. 'It has my name on it and the moment this is over you're leaving. Beg Fury for a job, he might make you a legal super hero.'

 

'Whatever!' Clint huffed. 'You think he'd make me a legal hero when he can have Captain America? No way in hell, I don’t stand a chance. I doubt he'll hire anyone else. The Captain and Iron Man are probably more than enough for him.'

 

'Why do you think he doesn't want you?' Steve asked. 'You fought with Natasha and you could keep up with her pretty well. You're strong and fast. I'd want you on my team if I were him.'

 

Clint was on the verge of tears when he heard those words. 'See, Captain America wants me as his sidekick! I'm going to fight alongside a real hero!'

 

'Would you have me on your team as well?' Tony asked, ignoring Clint who was sticking his tongue out.

 

Steve shrugged. 'I haven't seen you fight. The armor looks impressive, but I could stop you when you sneaked up on me. I'd have to see what your suit can do first.'

 

Clint laughed. 'You can't be on our team, sucker!'

 

'Even if he couldn't fight at all, I'd want him as my mechanic,' Steve said with a grin.

 

Tony grinned widely in return. Clint pulled a face.

 

'Gross, you two just want to be all over each other again.'

 

'Can't blame me, I mean, look at him. If you were hot I might wanna touch you too,' Tony said, winking at Steve.

 

Steve sighed and shook his head. He wasn't going to join this discussion. Clint and Tony continued to argue and insult each other until Natasha told them they should be at their best behavior in front of the Captain if they wanted to be his sidekicks and that actually helped. They stopped talking, but kept glaring at each other. Thankfully they were almost in New York.

 

Of course a car was waiting for them as they arrived at the airport. Tony's driver brought a big one, so there would be enough space with three adults in the back. Tony himself drove them to Shield, Clint, Steve and driver Happy on the backseat. Steve sat by the window and looked at the magnificent city. Things had changed so much. Everything was flashing and there were lights everywhere. It was overwhelming, but Steve wanted to walk through the chaos. He couldn't, not yet, but after he met his new boss, he definitely would!

 

'Wake up, Cap, we're here!' Tony said. Steve hadn't even noticed they stopped. 'It's a nice city, don't you think? I like it better at night. You should come over sometime, you have a great view over the city from my balcony. You can see so many lights, I'm sure you'll love it.'

 

'I'd like to,' Steve said, but it sounded nervous. Tony ignored it and took the others into the Shield headquarters. When the receptionist made clear to her boss that Tony had what Fury was looking for, they immediately got access to his office. The director didn't seem surprised when the crowd walked in and not just Tony with an engineered super soldier.

 

'Stark, Barton, Romanoff, Captain, it's good to see you,' Fury greeted them.

 

'No, no, no, no, no, wait a minute, Tony interrupted Fury. 'You knew it was Captain America who was locked up there? And you didn't tell us?'

 

'Of course I knew,' Fury said. 'You wouldn't have believed me if I told you though. Romanoff is one of ours. It's true that she could get out, but the Captain couldn't. The wall had to be destroyed for that. Long story that I’m not going to tell you now. I only found that out a week ago and you were the cheapest option to go and get him.'

 

'I have about a hundred questions, but I want to punch you in the face so badly that I can't even ask a single one of them,' Tony hissed.

 

'I couldn't get out because of the warmth,' Steve said. 'The wall reacted to temperature. If we opened it from the inside, only things with the right body temperature could go outside. My body adjust to the surroundings though, so I was stuck.'

 

'You never thought of punching the wall yourself?' Tony asked. 'We did it and it broke down. You could have done it too.'

 

'Once again a temperature thing,' Steve sighed. 'It was cold on the outside, so you had to use something hot, like your explosions, to get in. It's hot on the inside, so we needed something cold, but even with ice or the fridge we didn't succeed. It was really complicated.'

 

'My repulsors are hot, that's why I was the cheapest option,' Tony groaned.

 

'And you have your own plane, which you like better than ours, so that was even cheaper,' Fury added.

 

'Okay, you used me, but we made a deal. Get all those lunatics out of my tower. Tonight.'

 

'I'll send some agents to get them out,' Fury said. 'Captain, we have a room for you here, for tonight. Romanoff and Barton, for you too.'

 

'Can I please be dismissed, sir?' Steve asked.

 

'Yes, there is an agent outside who will show you your room, Fury said. 'We'll talk tomorrow about how we can get you back in the field. You too Barton, I want to talk about a contract tomorrow.'

 

Steve and Clint left. The moment the door closed Clint did a little victory dance. There was indeed an agent waiting who brought them to their rooms, on the top floors of the building. Steve gave a quick goodbye before he disappeared behind the door. Clint stepped into his own room. It was white and looked sterile, but it was worth it if it meant he got to be an official super hero! He hopped around in his room a little, checking all the cupboards, the bathroom and even under the bed. There was nothing, it was really boring. He watched TV for a while, but there was nothing interesting, so he decided to take Steve into the city for some dinner.

 

Clint knocked on Steve's door, but there was no reply. He knocked again, harder this time, but still nothing. Clint called his new friend, but Steve didn't respond. That wasn't normal. Clint knocked once more, but when there still was no sound, Clint tried the door. It was open. He pushed it further open, peeking inside. The curtains were closed and the lights were off, so was really dark inside, Clint couldn't see a thing.

 

'Cap?' he asked

 

'Go away.'

 

Clint was surprised by that answer. Steve had been a nice guy, this didn't seem to be like him. Was Captain America secretly an asshole? Hero by day, villain by night? No, that just couldn’t be. His voice didn’t sound good, it was more like he was sick.

 

‘Steve, are you alright? Are you sick?’ Clint asked. ‘Is there something I can do for you?’

 

‘No, just leave,’ Steve said from the dark.

 

‘At least turn your lights on,’ the archer suggested. ‘I was going to get some food, want to come? Or should I bring you something? I can run and get us some burgers or something. I don’t think you’re ready for sushi yet.’

 

‘I’m not hungry, thank you,’ Steve said.

 

Okay, so Captain America is not a villain, he was still very polite. Clint decided Steve was sick then, and sick people needed help. He opened the door even further, letting the light in. That’s when he saw it. The man sitting in the corner of the room was not the big, muscly man they brought back from the arctic. This man was small, smaller than Clint. Hell, smaller than Tony, skinny and pale. His clothes were way too big for him and hung loosely around his body.

 

‘Steve?’

 

‘Yes, it’s me,’ Steve said, holding back a sob.

 

Clint walked into the room and gave the door a little push. It didn’t completely shut, so he still had a little light to see where he was going. He walked to Steve and sat down next to him against the wall.

 

‘What happened?’ he asked. ‘Wait, no, this has something to do with you always wanted to get a place to sleep when it started to get dark outside? Are you like this every night?’

 

Steve nodded. ‘Yes, this is what I looked like before I became Captain America, before they injected me with the serum. It’s not permanent. Every night, after dark I turn into this, ugly, tiny person again.’

 

‘Why didn’t you tell us? We would have understood, you can’t help it, right?’

 

‘No, you both thought I was this awesome person from your comic books, but I’m not a hero,’ Steve sighed. ‘I can’t even help anyone at night, because I turn sick and scrawny again. What kind of hero is that? I’m useless. I don’t know if director Fury knows, but I don’t know how to tell him. Do you think he will scratch the contract? The only way to resolve it is by true love’s kiss. Or that’s what they said, maybe they were joking behind my back. I feel like an idiot.’

 

Clint tried to comfort Steve, telling him that he would talk to Fury for him if he wanted that. Fury could let his best scientists work on a solution, or maybe help him find his true love. If the people who made the serum said it, it could be true, right? It didn’t sound weirder than a wall that reacted to temperatures.

 

Meanwhile Tony stood in the hallway, his hands clenched, biting his bottom lip so hard he tasted blood. He had come to ask Steve out for dinner. Just something casual, just as friends, to get to know each other, maybe more, one day. He liked Steve and he was positive Steve liked him as well. Until he overheard the conversation between Steve and Clint. He couldn’t hear everything, they were talking softly.

 

‘..ugly, tiny person….not a hero…scrawny….what kind of hero is that….useless….scratch the contract…idiot.’

 

It was all very clear for Tony. Steve was talking about him. Steve thought he wasn’t a hero, just a man in a flying armor, nothing special. Not a real hero. Tony walked away, fingernails digging in the palms of his hands. He didn’t care, he fucking didn’t need Captain America. This had just been a job to get rid of those losers that took over his tower. As long as Fury got those out of his house, he had what he wanted. Tony walked away and pretended he didn’t care.

 

‘I think you should tell Tony,’ Clint said when Steve felt a little better. ‘He really likes you, Steve. Not just Captain America the walking furnace, but also the guy he had fun with while repairing a car.’

 

‘I’ll tell him tomorrow,’ Steve promised.

 

~

 

The next morning Steve was up early. An agent helped him find his way to the gym and the breakfast hall, in that order. When he was eating toast, eggs and lots of bacon, Clint walked into the room, not very awake yet.

 

‘All big and muscly again, I see,’ Clint joked as he sat down next to his new friend. ‘Have you decided if you’re going to tell director Fury about it?’

 

‘About what?’ asked Natasha as she set her tray on the table and sat down next to Steve.

 

‘My… night problem,’ Steve whispered. ‘Clint found out yesterday.

 

‘And he didn’t freak out, because I would have heard him scream if he did,’ said Natasha. ‘So you’re thinking about telling Fury? Don’t. Not yet. He is thinking about creating a team. If you work in a team, the others can help you, take over from you if necessary. It’s probable that the three of us will be in the team, Stark too and a few others. One of them is a scientist. Physicist. He might be able to help you with finding a cure. I heard he has already been trying to replicate your serum. Maybe Stark could help him.’

 

‘Thank you, Nat,’ Steve smiled. ‘I’ll go and talk to Tony after I met director Fury. Could either of you help me, I don’t know how to get there.’

 

‘I can’t. I have a meeting with the director after you,’ Clint said. ‘It might take a while, I think he wants to see my abilities for himself.’

 

‘I’ll come with you, I’ve been in New York before,’ Natasha offered.

 

They finished their breakfast and Steve found his way to director Fury’s office. He knocked on the door before he walked in and took a seat across the one-eyed man. Fury was scribbling something down before he looked up at Steve.

 

‘Natasha told me about your abilities,’ he said. ‘She kept in contact with us every time she left the castle. I know what you can do. I know it’s been a long time, but I have several agents who are prepared to help you catch up to this new age.’

 

‘Thank you,’ Steve said. ‘I have a lot of questions.’

 

‘I can imagine,’ Fury continued. ‘I’m sure Stark told you something about what you will be doing here? You will be officially assigned as my bodyguard, but I need you to help and keep the world safe. Hydra is not completely gone, once we had aliens on our doorstep, and there are a whole lot of crazy people around who think they can take over the world. You will be helping us to catch them, Captain.’

 

‘I’ll be glad to be back in the field again, director.’

 

‘You will be given a home, here in New York. You can train in our facilities and study here. Ask for whatever you need and you will get it. Money is not a problem. I heard you used to have a motor bike, so we will get you one, or a car, if you prefer. We’re not telling the public yet that you are Captain America though, so keep a low profile for a while, get used to this age. When we need you, the press will find out about you soon enough and we’ll tell them a story that they will believe. We found some rare footage of the forties with you in it and some documents that speak of the serum that is used on you. Speaking of it, we made you a new suit. Here is your contract. Take it, read it, and I expect it back by tomorrow, either with your signature, or with a note about the things you want changed. Any questions?

 

Steve shook his head as he stood up, thanked the director, took the papers and walked out of the room. It all went so fast that he couldn’t quite grasp what had been going on. He’d get a house, he’d get a new life here, in a world where he knew no one. Almost no one. He knew Tony, and Tony was a genius. He could help him with the contract, with the bike, with catching up. Steve went to his room, put his contract in a bag and went to search for Natasha.

 

Soon they were on the subway on their way to Stark tower. It wasn’t far, but there was a lot to see for Steve. There were so many people! After living alone with one person by his side for so long he forgot what it felt like to walk in a crowd, but he enjoyed it. He loved having so many people around and he hoped he could soon find his way on his own again.

 

Stark Tower was even more impressive in real life than it was on the picture Steve had seen. The hallway was huge and light. People were walking in and out, half of them were on the phone. Steve could hardly believe someone lived here. Natasha walked to the reception desk and talked to the man who was working there. It took a few minutes, but then he pointed to a separate elevator and Steve and Natasha were on their way up.

 

Tony was in his workshop, working on one of his Iron Man suits, when he heard the doors open. When he noticed Steve and Natasha walking in, he frowned.

 

‘What do you want?’

 

Steve didn't answer, he didn't even hear Tony. He was too overwhelmed by all the amazing things in the workshop. This is what he had read about in science fiction books, this was what the future was supposed to look like. Robots, flashing computer screens, and holograms floating in the air. It was amazing and felt unreal. Steve wanted to touch it all, see how it worked, but Tony woke him up from his thoughts.

 

'What. Do. You. Want?!'

 

'Oh, I'm sorry, this is just amazing,' Steve said, still having a hard time tearing his eyes away. 'Director Fury gave me my contract. I hoped you wanted to help me with it.'

 

'So I'm useless as a hero, but I am good enough to help you with your paperwork?' Tony asked. 'Just ask one of those amazing agents. Or Clint, since you're such great buddies! I don't have time, I have better things to do.'

 

Steve frowned. 'Are you alright?'

 

'Fuck off, can't you see I'm busy?'

 

Natasha took Steve's arm and led him out of the workshop. 'Don't mind him, this is Stark's usual asshole self. Narcissistic, doesn't play well with others, it's all in his files. Let's go, I'll help you with your contact.'

 

~

 

Tony was pissed, really pissed. He had been happy when Fury had told him he was thinking about creating a team of super heroes, with only the best ones around. He didn't care about the others on the team, but he had been looking forward to work with Captain America. Until the man had called him useless.

 

Tony threw something against the wall. The robots immediately started cleaning up. Tony hated himself for being angry. He never cared what others thought of him, so it bothered him how much he cared about what Steve thought. Maybe he just wanted his childhood hero to like him, maybe he had hoped someone had finally liked him for who he was. Sure his two best friends liked him, but normally people judged him, or tried to get some money out of him. Steve hadn't been like that. Not at first at least. Tony just kept himself buried in work to forget about those harsh words.

 

By the end of the day Tony ended up on his couch, eating pizza, drinking too much beer, and watching television. He didn't even notice that Clint walked in, until the archer dropped down next to him on the couch.

 

'How the hell did you get in?' Tony asked, acting like the blond hadn't scared the hell out of him.

 

'Same as last time,' Clint grinned.

 

'You got what you wanted, you're an official super hero now, no need to bother me anymore. You're never going to be my sidekick,' Tony said, sipping his beer.

 

'Not your sidekick, but maybe your partner!' Clint cheered. 'We're going to be a team, so you better get used to me. You'll be seeing a whole lot more of me in the future.'

 

'Yeah, we get to work together, we're not hanging out together,' Tony stated. 'Get out of my house and go back to Shield or something.'

 

'Nope, this is my house too now. You'd get your tower if you freed the genetically engineered super soldier. I helped you to get him, so half of the tower is mine,' Clint explained.

 

Tony's eyes widened. 'You got to be kidding me! Get the fuck out asshole! Your reward was a contract and you got that!'

 

'Nope, half of the tower I mine. I have some chalk, I can draw a line if that makes things easier for you,' the archer offered. 'But I'm not leaving, at least not until you told me why you were being an ass to Steve. He had something important he wanted to talk to you about, you just told him to piss off. He felt down all day.'

 

'First you two discuss what a terrible person I am and that I'm not hero material and then he comes to ask for help and feels down when I reject him? Are you two stupid? I'm not a team player, I'm only working on my own.'

 

Tony got up and walked out of the room, leaving a baffled Clint behind.

 

~

 

Steve and Natasha were sparring together. She and Clint helped him to catch up to this new world, but sometimes they needed a break and they would practice their fighting skills, like old times. Clint joined them. It was nice to practice with someone else now and then.

 

Clint and Natasha still didn't have their contract. They had a promise, but the director only wanted to sign it if he was sure he could have a properly functioning team. Stark was giving him problems, because he refused to work with Steve.

 

'Do you think he's angry because I said I didn't want him on the team until I saw him fight?' Steve asked as the three of them sat panting on a mat in one of Shield's gyms.

 

'If that's it, he is being childish,' Natasha said. 'It was just a joke and he knew that too.'

 

'But it's something I did, because he doesn't want to talk to me,' Steve sighed. 'I went to see him yesterday and he refused to let me in, but he still talks to Clint.'

 

'Only to tell me to piss off,' Clint muttered.

 

'He didn’t kick you out like he did with us,' Steve complained. 'Oh shit, do you think he heard us talk on our first night here and he saw my... night form? Captain America was his hero and I let him down.'

 

'You're my hero too and I handled it!' Clint protested. 'Even if he heard or saw what was going on, he could at least listen to what you have to say.'

 

Steve wanted thank Clint, but at that moment there was a loud alarm going off. Natasha jumped up and dragged the others to the debriefing room. Nick Fury was already waiting for them with a handful of agents. Behind him a television showed a gigantic robotic monster that was destroying New York.

 

'Captain, no time to adjust, we need you,' Fury said. 'A robot has attacked New York. Follow this agent. Your uniform and shield are ready. Get changed, we'll drop you off with a helicopter.'

 

Steve followed the agent. They ran through the hallways to the room where his suit was. He wasn't even in the room yet and he had already taken his shirt off. This was a matter of life and death, so he had to be quick. Within a minute he had changed into his new uniform. It suited him perfectly and felt comfortable. Steve hung his shield on his back, before he headed out to the helicopter platform. Clint was waiting for him there.

 

'I can't come with you, but Tasha is on her way, as an agent, not as a hero. No contract yet, so agents only. Good luck!'

 

'Thanks!' Steve said before he hopped into the helicopter. He took a deep breath. His first mission in seventy years, he could do this. The moment he saw the robot he immediately started planning. It was huge, at least three floors high, walking on six leg, and completely made of steel. Big chance it's weak spot was in his neck, or other joints.

 

'Fly over the robot,' he ordered. 'And open a door!'

 

'Captain, we can't...'

 

'Do it!' Steve ordered. When the pilot wasn't fast enough Steve ripped the door open and jumped out. He fell a hundred meter, before he safely landed on top of the robot. He slammed his shield between the two steel plates of the neck, hoping to destroy some of the important wiring inside.

 

The robot didn't stop or slow down, instead he tried to get Steve off his back. Steve tried to hold on, but the robot went crazy and he was launched into a wall. Thankfully he could block most of the crash with his shield, but it still hurt. Steve stood back up and turned around. Agents were shooting, but bullets didn't do anything to the steal armor. Any other heroes that showed up were taken away by the police. Steve sighed, shook his head, and ran to Natasha.

 

'Get Tony,' he ordered. 'This isn't going to be easy and it's sundown in two hours!'

 

'On it!' Natasha replied.

 

Steve positioned himself in front of the robot. From there it looked more insect-like than it did from the top. It didn't stop Steve though. It had eyes, something that looked like eyes. Maybe they were cameras, it would help if they were destroyed. So Steve ran. The claws of the robot tried to get him, but he ducked, jumped, or hit them out of his way. He made it to the face of the thing and threw his shield. It destroyed one eye, before bouncing to the other eye, only to return to Steve. The claws moved uncontrolled, in all directions, knocking some agents down, and hitting Steve, throwing him out of his way.

 

Okay, so maybe that hadn't been his best plan ever. Steve picked himself up again and got closer to the robot. It was smashing his claws around randomly now that it couldn’t see, hitting cars and buildings. Luckily the agents had moved out of its way. Steve took his shield with both hands and when the robot tried to hit him again, somehow it could still hear things, he stepped aside and slammed his shield in the claw, cutting off one of its six arms. It was a start.

 

~

 

Natasha had told Clint to get Tony. They needed help from someone who knew about robots and Tony was an expert. Iron Man would also be pretty helpful in destroying the thing. Clint used his usual vent climbing to get inside Stark Tower and found Tony, as always, in his workshop. On one of his screens the news was showing. The moment Tony spotted Clint he turned off the television.

 

‘He could use some help, you know,’ the archer said. Of course he had noticed.

 

‘What are you talking about?’ Tony asked, not looking up from his current project.

 

‘Come on, Stark, do we really have to do this?’ Clint asked as he turned the screen back on. ‘He is fighting that thing on his own with some agents who only know how to shoot guns. That’s not going to help him, the bullets bounce off on that robot and go everywhere. Steve is in danger.’

 

‘I thought such an amazing hero as Captain America could handle such a small job on his own,’ Tony bit back. ‘He really doesn’t need the help of some useless man like me.’

 

‘I don’t know who told you you were useless, but you’re not,’ Clint stated.

 

‘Steve said it! I heard him talking to you!’ Tony said angry, turning to face the archer. ‘The first day at the Shield headquarters you were talking to him and I heard him say that I was not a hero, that I was scrawny and useless and that they should scratch my contract.  That made it pretty clear that he didn’t want me on his team, or anywhere around him at all, so he can take care of that robot monster himself.’

 

‘Oh my God,’ Clint groaned. ‘You didn’t hear all of it, did you?  Because he wasn’t talking about you, he was talking about himself.’

 

‘Yeah, because Captain America is scrawny and useless.’

 

‘He is,’ Clint said. ‘At night. You remember how he got nervous when it started to get dark? That’s because he turns back in the guy he was before the serum! Scrawny, tiny, useless, not a hero! He can’t find at night, Stark, because our big hero loses his powers at night! He was going to tell you, ask you to help him find a solution, but you had already decided he hated you by then.’

 

Tony blinked a few times, trying to understand what Clint was telling him. ‘Does that have anything to do with his true love’s kiss?’

 

‘He thinks he can solve this with true love’s kiss,’ Clint said. ‘How do you know that?’

 

‘Fucking hell, when I found him in that tower the first thing he asked me if I was his true love. He mentioned it like a hundred times or something, I thought he was just desperate after seventy years of celibacy. Oh fuck man, Captain America is just a scrawny guy at night.’

 

‘Yes, which is in about an hour, so why don’t you suit up and go help him already?’

 

Tony called his suit and in a minute it wrapped around his body. He was about to fly off when he noticed Clint had his bow in his hands.

 

‘Give me a lift and drop me off on some roof?’ Clint asked with a smirk.

 

‘Hawkeye, you bad boy, going to risk getting arrested by the police?’

 

‘For Captain America? Hell yeah!’

 

Tony wrapped his arms around Clint before he flew off.

 

~

 

Steve was getting desperate. He had tried a whole lot of different things, but the robot was still standing and still damaging the city. He only had three arms left by now and he had dents and small holes, but nothing bad enough to stop him. Steve even tried to hit it with a broken electricity cable, but even that hadn’t worked. He almost electrocuted himself instead.

 

He needed a plan, and fast. The sun was already setting and Steve didn’t have much time left. Maybe he could open a fire hydrant and aim the water at the robot with his shield. Or at the electricity cable, but that could be dangerous for the people around as well. His only other plan was to drop a building on top of the robot and crush it. It was confirmed that one of the damaged buildings was empty. He’d had to make the robot hit the building again to make it fall. And he had to make it hit the building at exactly the right spot, or it would fall in another direction, and that would be absolutely useless.

 

Steve was so busy with his plan and the robot, that he didn’t notice that one of its arms was about to crush him. The heavy arm was lifted high in the air and came falling down as the robot tried to move itself. Seconds before it fell down on Steve, he was swept off his feet and pushed away by something cold. His eyes widened when he saw the Iron Man suit.

 

‘Tony?’

 

‘Yeah, Clint told me you could use some help. Sorry I’m late.’

 

‘Better late than never, I’m really happy to see you,’ Steve said, a bright smile on his face and hope in his eyes. He got back on his feet and turned back to the monster.

 

Tony flew up and started hitting the robot with his repulsors. Nothing happened. From the top of the building Clint shot two explosive arrows at the crawling machine, but they hardly damaged the steel shield of the robot. Neither of the two heroes could get through the exterior layer, no matter what they tried.

 

‘Okay, this isn’t working, Cap, do you have a plan?’ Tony asked as he landed next to Steve.

 

‘I had hoped explosions and fire would help, but this thing is a lot stronger than it looks. We gotta drop the building on him,’ Steve said. ‘The building that is about to crash, its empty. None of our attacks worked, we gotta burry it under something heavy. Even if we can’t stop it that way, maybe we can damage it so badly that we can reach his insides and pull some wires. Tell Clint to shoot one of his explosive arrows exactly on the right corner. The moment it explodes, you keep an eye on the movement. Use those repulsors to give it direction if it threatens to fall in the wrong direction. Give it a little push when necessary. I’ll distract it until you two finished the job. Tell Clint to shoot on my sign!’

 

'Okay, will do!' Tony said. 'Make sure you're out of the way when it comes crumbling down, don't want to burry you with the robot!'

 

'I will,' Steve smiled. He started running, getting out of the way of the arms, but at the same time he tried to get the robot closer to the building. He made a lot of noise with his shield, getting the attention of the metallic monster. With success. The robot moved in the direction of the sounds and bumped against the building.

 

Steve gave Clint a sign. The archer released the arrow he had ready and shot it to the exact place Tony had told him. Tony himself was in position as well. The moment the arrow exploded he use his repulsors to move the falling building in the right direction. He had to use one of his small rockets to give an extra explosions when it seemed to go wrong. Tony saw Steve running out of the way. He dove when the building came crashing down, and rolled to get back on his feet. Steve turned to see if they had succeeded.

 

Behind him the robot got squashed like a giant bug. The sounds of metal being crushed was so loud Steve had to cover his ears. Instinctively he pulled up his shield and closed his eyes. He knew he should be watching, but bits of robot and the building were flying around and there was a lot of dust. He didn't see how one of the robot arms was cut off and launched in his direction. Seconds before he was hit he opened his eyes and he tried to  scramble out of the way.

 

The sun set behind the skyscrapers of New York.

 

'STEVE!' Tony shouted when he saw the robot arm hit his friend. He flew down and landed next to him. With all the strength of his suit he pulled the arm away, revealing a tiny, scrawny, Steve, who was panting heavily, but didn't look harmed. Tony sighed in relief.

 

'You okay?'

 

'Could be better,' Steve said, coughing a little. 'But nothing broken, just some scratches and a tiny body.'

 

Agents swarmed the place to check if the robot really was done for and to clean up. The press also turned up, taking pictures and filming the robot. Tony noticed them and shook his head.

 

'We should get out of here,' he said.  'We don't want the press to make a picture of you like this. Want a ride? I'll fly you back to the headquarters.'

 

'Thanks,' Steve said as he took Tony's hand. Tony pulled him up he feet and wrapped two metallic arms around him, before taking off. He flew them to the Shield building and landed on the helicopter platform. Steve stumbled and almost tripped over his too big boots. He took them off and hurried to his room. He didn't want anyone to see him like this.

 

Tony let his armor fold back into a suitcase and hurried after him. Now that Steve was so small it was easy to catch up. Tony shielded the other man from curious eyes of the agents. Once inside the room Steve dropped his shield and boots and undressed. He was obviously self-conscious, but Tony didn't turn away.

 

'Did you look like this before you got the serum?' he asked.

 

'Yeah, sorry to disappoint,' Steve sighed, quickly putting on a shirt and some pants.

 

'No, I think you're cute,' Tony said. 'Okay, yeah, Captain America is hot, but, Steve Rogers is pretty cute as well. I wouldn't know which one I'd choose.'

 

'I'd know,' Steve complained. 'Small Steve has asthma, heart problems, and a hundred other things. Tall Steve can jump out of helicopters, get smashed by giant robots and punch Hitler in the face.'

 

'Yeah, that's pretty cool, except getting smashed by robots,' Tony said. 'Sorry I was being an ass and shut you out. I misunderstood something and got mad. I thought you didn't think I was a hero.'

 

'What?' Steve asked. 'You got me out of that castle! You built a suit of armor that can fly and you use it to help people! That is amazing. I was really happy we were going to be a team.'

 

'I was being stupid,' Tony sighed.

 

'It's okay, I should have just let you guys know about my problem,' Steve said, a sad smile on his face. 'I'm never going to be as cool as the comic book Captain America. Do you still want to be on my team?'

 

'I like the real Captain America a lot better,' Tony stated. 'We're going to be the best team ever!'

 

'Do you really think I'm cute?' Steve asked, looking at the floor.

 

Tony opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again. He chuckled. 'You look at the wrong parts. You have amazing eyes and beautiful hair. You're stubborn, sassy, and strong, I like it.'

 

'Then try to break the magic spell and make me tall Steve forever?'

 

'I still don't believe in true love's kiss,' Tony said.

 

'Doesn't matter, because I do,' Steve said, leaning towards Tony. 'Even if it doesn't work, it might still be nice.'

 

Tony smirked. He leaned forward as well and pressed his lips against Steve's. It was nice indeed, but when he wanted to push things a little further there was a sudden light in the dark room. Tony opened  his eyes and moved back. It was Steve, he was glowing! Steve's eyes were wide as he looked at his hands. The light only turned brighter, until it was so bad Tony had to shield his eyes. Only seconds later the light was gone again. When Tony opened his eyes it was tall Steve who sat in front of him.

 

'It worked,' Steve muttered. 'It worked! I'm healthy again. I can't believe it worked.'

 

Tony didn't say anything. Steve was too happy to notice. He looked at himself in the mirror and laughed. He was amazed that he had his daytime body at night now too. He didn't even care that he destroyed his clothes. He grabbed a new pair of pants and pulled it on. He took off the shirt and threw it away. He was about to put on a new shirt when he noticed Tony hadn't moved.

 

'Are you alright?'

 

'Do you know what this means?' Tony whispered. 'I'm your true love.'

 

Steve sat down on the bed again and pressed a kiss on Tony's lips.

 

'I can't say I mind,' he said with a small smile. 'I'm actually saved by my knight in shining armor! Are you shocked that true love exists, that magic exists, or that your true love is Captain America?'

 

'All three!' Tony groaned. 'Kiss me again, I need it.'

 

'Oh, great, my true love is a whiny and needy man,' Steve joked before kissing Tony again. 'I'm going to take a shower. There is blood in my hair and dust in my nose.'

 

'Dirty boy,' Tony purred.

 

Steve chuckled. He was about to walk into the bathroom when there was a knock on the door. Steve opened it and let Clint and Natasha in. Natasha looked at Steve, then at Tony,  and smiled before she sat down. Clint dropped in a chair.

 

'Man, the police almost got me!' he sighed. 'Have you seen the news? Fury held a speech. About how it was possible that people saw Captain America fight a robot bug. He made up a story about how you were frozen in the arctic for seventy years and how they thawed you a few weeks ago. Everyone believed him! He also announced that there will be a team and that the two of you will be in it, and me too! You should have been there!'

 

'I'm sure they'll show it a few more times,' Steve laughed.

 

'Wait, it's dark. Why are you big?' Clint asked surprised. When he saw all three of them smirking his mouth fell open. 'True love's kiss! Oh my God, is that why you are half naked? You were going to do the do! What the fuck, you pervs!'

 

'We were not,' Steve defended them. 'I kinda grew out of my clothes all of a sudden. I was redressing when you burst in.'

 

'So, when is the wedding?' Natasha asked. She grinned when Tony's face went pale, while Steve’s got red.

 

~

 

'Alright, now that everyone is here I like to start,' Fury said to a bunch of very loud people. 'As most of you know you're the only super heroes allowed at the moment. All of you together will be team New York, you'll be the official protectors of this city.'

 

'That's a lame name,' Tony commented. Clint agreed.

 

Fury ignored the two of them.  'If it works out we're going to start other groups in other cities. The six of you are an experiment. As for introductions, you all know Iron Man and Captain America from the news, Natasha Romanoff, code name Black Widow, familiar with a lot of different fighting styles, Clint Barton, also known as Hawkeye, he is an archer, Thor Odinson, he can control thunder, and Bruce Banner, who sometimes changes into an enormous green rage monster.'

 

'What about The Super Six?' Clint asked.

 

‘That is even worse than Team New York,’ Bruce said.

 

Tony laughed. ‘I like you already. I heard you do science too. We should talk while I give you a tour in my workshop. You’re gonna love it.’

 

Fury coughed to get their attention. ‘If you can manage to listen for a little longer, thank you very much. I want you to start training together, starting today. You can use the gym here in the building and in the basement is a practice room where you can use your powers and go all out. Find out about each other’s strengths and weaknesses, so you can help each other out in the field.’

 

‘What do you guys think of New York’s Finest then,’ Clint asked.

 

‘No!’ Steve said firmly.

 

‘I think it would be a fitting name for fine men and women like us,’ Thor voiced his opinion.

 

‘We _are_ the finest!’ Tony added. ‘Not just of New York though, we should be The World’s Finest!’

 

‘Gentleman!’ Fury interrupted again. ‘I’m happy you all get along, but we have a few more things to discuss. The Captain will be your team leader, he will be the one giving the orders and you will listen to him.’

 

‘My first decision is that our team name won’t be New York’s Finest or The World’s Finest of anything with finest at all,’ Steve stated.

 

‘Director, sir, he is abusing his power already! I say we make me team leader!’ Clint said, pointing his thumbs at himself.

 

‘Barton, shut up!’ Fury ordered angry. ‘The Captain is the team leader, because he is the best tactician of your group. You have your own…. qualities. You will all have to carry a device, so we can contact you at any given time, in case of emergency. You can do whatever you want, but when that thing starts beeping, you suit up and make your way to the location that is shown. That could be a place in the city, or here, at the headquarters, where you’ll gather to go to the place of the incident together.’

 

‘What about The Avengers,’ Steve said.

 

‘Who are we avenging?’ Clint asked. ‘It doesn’t make sense.  New York’s Finest makes sense.’

 

‘We’re not all from New York, so it doesn’t, actually,’ Tony said. ‘And we’re avenging the people of New York, who keep getting attacked by aliens and robot bugs. The poor people can’t do anything on their own, so we avenge them. I like it.’

 

‘You only like it because it was your teenage masturbation dream that suggested it,’ Clint said as he crossed his arms.

 

‘Excuse me?’ Steve said.

 

‘I think we should talk about that at a later time,’ Tony said, having the decency to be a little embarrassed.

 

‘Yes, please, that sounds like a little too much info,’ Bruce sighed.

 

‘I like it,’ Natasha.

 

‘You like it that Stark masturbated over Captain America when he was a teenager?’ Clint asked. ‘That might be more disturbing than the actual thing.’

 

Natasha pinched his arm and Clint immediately shut his mouth. ‘I like the name, The Avengers. I think we should stick to that.’

 

‘I agree too,’ Bruce said. ‘Short and simple.’

 

‘And very true,’ Thor added. ‘We will avenge those who have been wronged!’

 

‘What do you think, Clint?’ Steve asked.

 

‘Pff, you guys already decided, so whatever. The Avengers, sure.’

 

‘If you don’t shut up right now I will have some of my agents set up a very difficult boot camp for you for the rest of the afternoon,’ Fury threatened. Nobody dared opening their mouth again, even Steve, who probably wouldn’t have any problems with the boot camp.

 

‘Now that I have your attention again, I’d like to tell you that all of you can get a room here at Shield headquarters, or a small apartment somewhere in the city. All funded by Shield, of course.’

 

‘No Fury, that won’t do,’ Tony said. ‘You guys should just move in with me.’

 

‘You took a mission to get all the super heroes out of your house and now you are inviting them back in,’ Fury noted. ‘How generous of you, Stark.’

 

‘I’m not that bad, you know,’ Tony said. ‘I was going to ask our dearest Captain to move in with me anyway, and I have a few more floors left. I didn’t want any losers in my house. These people have proven that they aren’t losers, they are the Avengers.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Did anyone notice this was a Shrek AU?


End file.
